


Light Bringer

by golden_kimono



Category: B.A.P, K-pop
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Dae's a big fan though, Friends With Benefits, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, Mention of sexism, More pairings will probably follow, Multi, Piercings, Tattoos, They're all in a band except Daehyun, Visual B.A.P, Visual Kei
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-29 13:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6377794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/golden_kimono/pseuds/golden_kimono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>B.A.P are a Korean visual kei band. One day they meet Daehyun, one of their fans, after a live and Himchan develops a thing for him straight away.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I always wanted to see visual B.A.P. ;;

Himchan turned to grin at Yongguk, who planted his right foot on the box and smiled back, rolling his eyes good-naturedly when Himchan beckoned him closer. The crowd screamed in expectation and Yongguk leaned in obediently, allowing Himchan to grab him by the back of the neck and kiss him. He pulled back with a laugh when Yongguk licked at the seam of his lips and he leaped over to Youngjae, who quickly bounced over to the other side before he could be the next victim.

 _Light Bringer_ was known as their fanservice song, something Himchan was more than happy to keep up. Yongguk usually went along with it without much complaint, and they had even turned it into something of a game of who could make the other pull away first. Reaching into the crowd and accepting the fans’ touches, Himchan shouted the lyrics down the microphone, shaking his head with a smirk when one girl tried to grab his skirt. She smiled sheepishly and he patted her head to show he wasn’t angry. There were artists out there who gladly let the fans touch them all over, but Himchan wasn’t one of those; still, he didn’t blame them for trying, as long as they stopped when he told them to.

He yelped when a hand groped him from behind and threw a glare over his shoulder at a cheeky-looking Youngjae, who had clearly wanted to get to Himchan before Himchan could get to him. In retaliation, Himchan quickly tapped him on the crotch before returning to the box.

The song was nearing its end, and as he sang the last few notes, Himchan ran his hand up his skirt and closed his eyes, bending over at the waist to avoid flashing anyone. He was all for giving the fans something special, but he had his limits.

Once the last note had died away, he looked into the crowd, pleased to see their happy faces and hear them ask for another encore. “Thank you!!” he screamed into the microphone, seeing Youngjae blow a kiss from beside him. “I love you!”

Jongup moved forward and tossed some of his picks into the crowd, smiling quietly and waving once before he moved offstage. Yongguk was much the same, though he did press a pick into a girl’s hand and then kissed it, much to the envy of those around her. Himchan waited until Youngjae had left before taking a long sip from his water bottle and throwing it into the crowd. He turned round to see Junhong behind him, ready to throw his drum sticks to the fans, and he pinched his cheek, only to receive a quick peck on his own in return.

“Great job, guys!” he shouted to the other three once he was backstage, accepting the towel a staff member tossed him and wiping his forehead. He knew they didn’t have much time to relax, as they had a handshake event straight after (a ploy by their management to make more money: have the fans buy CDs and receive tickets to meet them; they didn’t really mind, though, because any chance to meet the fans and communicate with them was welcome).

“Ah, it’s not fair,” Junhong whined as he joined them. “You’re always kissing and touching and I’m too far away to join in!”

“We can trade,” Jongup replied with a shrug. He tolerated the fanservice, but never initiated it and Himchan often felt that one of the reasons he was so quiet was so they wouldn’t bother him. “We could switch up the instruments some day, if you want.”

Yongguk hummed and walked over, his towel thrown about his neck, his shirt gone. He placed his arm around Himchan and leaned against him. “That’s not a bad idea, maybe we should try it for a special event or something.”

“I can play the guitar,” Himchan offered, already picturing what they could do with this concept. “It’d be interesting.” He caught their manager’s eye and nodded in understanding when he gestured for them to leave. “Right, guys, time to go back out! Bbang, please put some clothes on before you give anyone a heart attack.” Not that his actual shirt was very helpful: it was mostly ripped.

After adjusting his corset and pulling up his leather boots, Himchan hurried over to Junhong to walk up with him. “You okay? You’re not really bothered about the fanservice thing, are you?” Though if he was, Himchan would gladly face the trouble of crawling past the drum kit and getting to him, or at least attempting to.

“It’s not so much that,” Junhong replied with a sigh, “it’s more that everyone always forgets the drummer. I mean, am I anyone’s favourite? Does anyone notice me?”

Himchan squeezed his arm and smiled reassuringly. He knew that, especially at first, Junhong hadn’t been too popular, but this was possibly also partly due to his young age at the time. Now, though, he had grown up, both in age and in looks, and Himchan – who was always at the front – could tell that fans strained their necks to see him, and often heard them screaming his name, especially during his solos.

Not wanting to get into how hot Junhong had gotten right now, as there simply wasn’t enough time, Himchan instead stuck to a simpler answer. “Trust me, they love you. If you don’t believe me, you’ll know once you’re out there and get to meet everyone.” That was another upside to meeting the fans: those who were less interactive with them during lives had a chance to make up for that here. And it gave fans a chance to their favourite member up close if they weren’t able to before.

He wanted to say more, but then the doors were opened to lead them to the meeting area, where a few tables had been set up for them to queue up behind, with Himchan in the middle, wedged between Yongguk and Junhong. The realisation that he’d be stuck like this for a while made him wish he had been allowed to change into some more comfortable shoes, because his heels weren’t very suitable for this stuff.

As much as he loved the visual kei scene for how he could play around with make-up and costumes, in moments like these he wished the emphasis was less on looks – at least with regard to their feet. Nonetheless, he managed to plaster a smile on his face when the first fans started making their way over, and he waved at the ones waiting in line. No need to take his aching feet out on them (besides, he had a lovely, soft hotel bed to look forward to, and a _bath_!).

“Hi, nice to meet you!” he greeted the first girl before him, taking her hand and smiling widely when she grinned and opened her mouth to tell him how much she loved them and how happy she was to be here. “Ah, thank you so much… Hey, haven’t I seen you before?” he asked when she paused, squinting as he inspected her face, sure she had been at an event not too long ago. Her grin widened and she nodded happily, clearly pleased that he had remembered.

Himchan was known for his good memory regarding faces and names, and he knew some fans liked to see if he could recall who they were, as evidenced by a few others who followed. Some of them appeared so expectant that it was easy to guess, though. Apart from them, there were newer fans, cosplayers (he always admired their skills and dedication, although it still baffled him that they truly wanted to look like them) and even a few foreigners, whom he attempted to speak some basic Korean and English with, although it turned out to be easier to stick to: “Thank you, I love you!” (Which he did, really.)

Soon, though, there was someone before him he had never seen, and even if he had had a shit memory, he would’ve known that with absolute certainty. The person being ridiculously attractive wasn’t even the reason, as plenty of their fans were incredibly good-looking, but the fact that he was male _was_. Visual kei was still seen as a mostly female interest, especially when it came to actually meeting the band. Personally, Himchan thought it was bull: music was music, and when he was younger he had always loved the idea of meeting his favourite musicians, no matter the genre or their sex or gender.

“And who are you?” Himchan asked smoothly once he had recovered from the shock.

The guy across from him seemed taken aback for a moment at being asked such a question. “Ah, my name is Daehyun, nice to meet you!”

Himchan chuckled when Daehyun bowed. He grasped his hands and shook them firmly, feeling the warm digits around his own. “So polite! Hello, Daehyun, I’m Himchan.” He tilted his head when his eyes fell on the other’s wrist, catching a glimpse of ink. Without hesitation, he tugged up Daehyun’s sleeve and exclaimed. “Whoa, cool! Have you had it long?”

“It’s nothing like Yongguk’s,” Daehyun hastened to say, referring to the bassist’s infamous inked body. “I… It’s a thank you to everyone who helped me during hard times.” He shrugged and looked down, his cheeks redder than before. “It’s dumb, I know.”

“No, that’s a really sweet tribute,” Himchan assured him with a smile, still holding his hands. “I want one, but I haven’t found anything yet. If you can think of something for me, please let me know.”

Daehyun nodded eagerly. “I like your piercings,” he stated, nodding over at Himchan’s face.

Himchan bit on his lip rings and bowed his head in thanks. He had a few in his ears as well and one in his nose, which he had gotten together with Junhong, plus some that weren’t immediately visible. “Have you been to our lives before?” he asked curiously, genuinely wanting to know more about this guy.

“Yes! I’ve been a fan for a long time, but I never got the chance to meet you…” He shrugged and looked down at their hands, swinging them lightly. “I live far away, so I always leave straight after to catch the last bus back home. But I’m in a hotel now!”

“Were you hoping to take one of us back to your room?” Himchan teased, chuckling when Daehyun only stammered. “It’s okay, I’m only kidding.” He saw a staff member grab Daehyun’s waist, ready to move him along, and quickly wrapped things up. “Thank you for coming, I hope we’ll see you again!” He winked and squeezed Daehyun’s hands one last time. “And you never know, maybe we won’t say ‘no’ if you do ask.”

Daehyun’s eyes widened and then he was gone, moved over to Junhong while Himchan faced the next fan. “Wow, nice hair!” he shouted, tugging on one bright blue strand of the girl’s hair. Beside him he could hear Junhong rambling on to Daehyun, evidently equally excited to see a male fan as Himchan had been. He wished he could have asked him where he was from, if he had travelled far, but perhaps he’d indeed be back. If Himchan hadn’t scared him off, that was.

Once they had finished and the fans had gone, Himchan sighed in relief at the thought of changing into normal shoes. “Remind me not to wear heels for our new look,” he groaned as he followed the others to the dressing room, stumbling more than walking.

“You’ll tell us to mind our own business if we do,” Youngjae answered, though he did slow down to allow Himchan to lean on him. “But I promise we’ll try.” 

“I liked the guy!” Junhong said when they entered the room, already kicking off his shoes and looking for his normal clothing. “We don’t see them a lot and he seemed pretty cool. He told me he loves my drumming in _Galneryus_!”

“He likes my tattoos,” Yongguk said as he grabbed his bag and a towel, ready to head to the showers for a quick wash. “He seemed shy, but cute.”

Himchan nodded in agreement, groaning in pleasure as he unzipped his boots. He couldn’t help but glare at them when they were finally off, surprisingly not filled with blood. Definitely a bad idea to ever wear them. “I hope we’ll see him again. Plus, he was hot.” Exactly his type, to be precise.

Yongguk gave him a look, but didn’t disagree.

“Please tell me you didn’t hit on him,” Youngjae said, narrowing his eyes at Himchan suspiciously. “I know we don’t get guys a lot, but don’t scare off one of the few we _do_ meet.”

“Why would me hitting on him scare him off?” He huffed and turned to their rhythm guitarist, gesturing at his corset. “Jongup, can you help me out here?”

Jongup nodded in response and knelt down beside Himchan to undo it.

“He might be into men, you don’t know,” Himchan continued.

Youngjae opened his mouth, then simply closed it and shook his head, getting his things together to have a shower as well. “Just try to keep it in your skirt till you’re sure,” he warned. “We don’t want to be known as the band that tries to screw their fans.”

Now done with Himchan’s corset, Jongup stood back up and blinked innocently. “Why not? If they want it too and they’re old enough, then it’s not a big deal.”

Not dignifying this with an answer, Youngjae left the room, mumbling about bad influences.

“Himchan?” Yongguk asked when only the two of them were left. He smiled when the vocalist turned to face him and placed his hand on Himchan’s bare shoulder. “If he comes back and he’s into it… Don’t let management know. They can be dicks.”

Himchan laughed in surprise. “Thanks, I think? Until then, though: do you want to get together tonight?”

The band had a thing going on where they’d help each other out if the need became too high, although Yongguk and Himchan usually didn’t need much of an excuse. Friends with benefits were very handy if you toured together a lot.

Yongguk chuckled and ran his hand down Himchan’s arm. “Sure. I’m rooming alone tonight, so feel free to drop by whenever.”

“Oh, I will,” Himchan muttered, already thinking about it and wondering if he could get Yongguk to roleplay for one night.


	2. Chapter 2

“Why visual kei?” was the first question out of the interviewer’s mouth.

Himchan exchanged a look with Youngjae. Every time they spoke to someone about their music, this came up, and although they hadn’t expected this time to be any different, it was difficult to come up with an original answer by this point. Shifting forward to indicate that he’d be the one to reply, Himchan decided to simply be truthful instead of creative; if interviewers couldn’t be bothered, why should they?

“We like the aesthetic. The outward appearance is often important when it comes to music, because it’s about the whole package, but it’s even more so in visual kei. And, to us, it’s about being over the top, about taking extremes in our look.”

The interviewer nodded along and looked down at his notes. “It’s interesting, because no one else here has done so. What made you take the leap?”

“The TRAX did it before us,” Youngjae pointed out, his lips pursed in a way that told Himchan he was unimpressed by the lack of research. “We didn’t really think about it, to be honest. We gave it a try and it happened to work out for us, even if we’ll never be as popular as more mainstream artists.”

“But we don’t need the popularity,” Yongguk added quietly. “We enjoy the smaller venues and we have a loyal fanbase. It is exactly because we aren’t in the public eye as much that we can do what we want without much interference.”

“Ah, yes, you don’t really need to conform,” the interviewer agreed. “That must feel very freeing! Do you think that’s why you have attracted your fans, because they feel the need for an artist who isn’t as restricted?”

Youngjae shook his head. “We’re not vain enough to think we’re the only ones, it’s just that for an indie band we have a surprising amount of freedom. Our fans happen to like our music; I don’t know what else they might like about us.”

“I think we’re still seen as weird,” Jongup suddenly interjected, appearing thoughtful. “We’re the men who wear make-up and dresses and people either hate that or like it, and if they like it, they like us.”

“Most people don’t, by the way,” Himchan remarked with a wry grin. “There’s still a great deal of prejudice and sexism – and probably homophobia – towards us. I’ve heard it’s the same in Japan, where visual kei of course originated and is more popular than here: there’s lots of judgement, and one way to tell easily is by the lack of men at our lives. From what my male friends outside the band tell me, it’s not so much the music that’s the issue: it’s the fact that they think it will somehow reflect on them badly if they are open about being fans, either because they don’t understand what they call ‘the feminine aspect’, since they don’t respect femininity or women the way they should, or because they’re insecure in their sexuality.”

Taking a deep breath, Himchan sat back and lowered his eyes, worried he might have said too much. He felt quite strongly about this and was of the opinion that everyone should, but he also realised it was very much a taboo topic. Judging by the awkward silence that followed, he had indeed made things uncomfortable, though this would undoubtedly be cut from the magazine before publication anyway.

“We’re getting more men at our lives now,” Junhong, always the diplomatic one, spoke up in a small voice, trying to change the subject to something more light-hearted. “And at events too, so maybe it’s all changing. There was a guy at a handshake event just the other day!”

“He seemed nice,” Youngjae nodded. “Didn’t really know what to say, I think, but that happens often.” He glanced over at Himchan and Junhong and smirked. “Except when it came to these two: they were pretty friendly with him.”

Throwing a dirty glare Youngjae’s way, Himchan nonetheless shrugged in agreement; why deny it? “He was cute.”

Junhong nodded along, but before either of them could say any more, the interviewer switched over to their latest release and their plans for the new single. No surprises there: any time Himchan hinted at his sexuality, he was quickly interrupted. Not that he felt people _had_ to know, but it was frustrating to see the double standard.

As though he could sense his irritation (honestly, he probably could), Yongguk placed his hand on Himchan’s knee consolingly. The heat on his leg calmed him down a little, and for a while Himchan tuned out the interviewer’s questions so his annoyance wouldn’t grow. After all, could he truly blame the man for a faulty system?

His thoughts returned to Daehyun, how he had stood before him so shyly, his eyes shining and expression open and eager, nervous yet excited. He _was_ cute, and that night Himchan had closed his eyes when he was with Yongguk and pretended the other’s shoulders were just a little narrower, his lips a little thicker. Out of all the male fans he had met so far, Daehyun wasn’t the first to have caught his eyes like this, but while having fantasies about fans wasn’t rare, it was more dangerous when he wished he could make it reality – because he felt he possibly could. As Yongguk had said: he should be careful.

Of course there was a chance he’d never even see Daehyun again, or that he had completely misread the signals, in which case there was nothing to worry about except his ego.

“Himchan and Yongguk, you lived together when the band first started out, right?” the interviewer asked, cutting through the fog in Himchan’s head and making the vocalist turn back to the present. “What was that like?”

“Like living with a goldfish,” Himchan stated with a straight face, laughing when Yongguk squeezed his knee hard. “It’s not a bad thing! Yongguk’s just very, very quiet, while I’m loud and like to talk. Most of the time it felt like I was speaking to a wall. Or a goldfish: they don’t speak, don’t eat much, but they’re still very much alive.”

“I talk,” Yongguk protested.

“But not a lot,” Himchan pointed out. “He says he listens, but I don’t know.”

“I always listen,” Yongguk said firmly, as though everyone should know better than to think differently.

“Yongguk the goldfish…” The interviewer chuckled. “Now there’s an image! So you had to keep up both sides of the conversation?”

Himchan nodded and shifted in his seat. “Jongup’s much the same, actually. Whenever we share a hotel room, he’s mostly quiet while I’m rambling away. But I guess he’s not quite as bad as Yongguk.”

“He talks a little more, but he’s more random,” Youngjae said with a grin. “When Yongguk speaks, you know you have to listen, while Jongup can say the strangest things. Like: ‘Oh, lifts go up and down in other countries too!’”

Jongup shrugged when the interviewer looked at him. “I see the world as more interesting than they do.”

“He’s good to share a room with: he treats me to food sometimes,” Junhong interrupted. “Well, Himchan does too… But he treats us all anyway, I think he likes looking after us. With Jongup it’s mostly when he thinks you actually need it, you know?”

The interviewer nodded as though he completely understood. “So who would you say is the best roommate?”

“I think Himchan and Yongguk should say each other,” Youngjae mused, “because they’re most comfortable with each other. They lived together, got naked together… There’s a bond different than for the rest of us.”

“We just didn’t see the point of getting dressed right after a shower, so we’d walk around without clothes until we got cold,” Himchan explained to the now pale interviewer; not used to much, was he? “It’s not that we had wild orgies in our home: we just felt at ease and didn’t see what the big deal was.”

“And it’s not a big deal,” Youngjae agreed. “It was just awkward for me at first, because I need to know people better before I can get changed around them. First time I shared a hotel room with someone was with Yongguk, and he stripped with me in the room.” He laughed and rubbed his head, Yongguk appearing sheepish. “I didn’t actually know what to say! He was used to Himchan, I think, who didn’t care, but we just stared at each other for ages until I ran into the bathroom to change my own clothes and pretend I’d seen nothing.”

“And… he still does this?”

“He does, but I don’t mind now.”

Once the interview ended, Himchan wasn’t sure who was more relieved, them or the interviewer. Though, despite the frustrating beginning, it hadn’t been completely awful. They had certainly had worse interviews in the past, like the one with the guy who was so rude he actually had tea ordered for him alone and continuously interrupted them as they answered.

They bowed and said their goodbyes before getting in the van that would bring them over to their company building, where they had to continue preparing for their next single – which would be released shortly after their tour.

Junhong flopped down in the backseat of the van and sighed. “That was…”

“Boring?” Youngjae offered.

“Well… yeah.”

“Remember, this magazine isn’t specialised in our style of music,” Yongguk reminded them all. “He did his best.” He paused and scooted up to make room for Himchan. “I know the questions weren’t the most original ones we’ve had, but at least they tried to have a mixture of different topics.”

This was true, Himchan supposed. Some magazines, if they didn’t know what to ask, stuck to mostly technical questions – which was fine if they actually knew enough about that aspect of their music to ask follow-up questions – or focused on their not-so-wild lifestyles. Yes, they had some stories, but not nearly as many as was apparently believed (plus, Himchan doubted they’d appreciate it if he went into more detail on the sexual relationships in the band).

“You okay?” Yongguk asked shortly before they reached their destination, leaning over to Himchan so the others couldn’t hear. Not that they seemed to be paying attention: Junhong and Youngjae were having an animated discussion on a movie they’d watch recently and Jongup, who was in the passenger’s seat, was dozing off.

“Yeah, fine,” Himchan mumbled back, smiling to show he was being truthful. “It’s just the way people are and I won’t shut up, but I understand why not everyone gets it. It can be scary to admit that what you’ve believed all your life may be wrong and to change your mindset.”

For instance, he knew very well that the interviewer didn’t see sexism the way Himchan did (let alone the way women did), probably not because he was being malicious, but because he _genuinely_ didn’t get it. And he was far from the only person with different ideas from Himchan; at least he hadn’t spent his time attempting to convince Himchan _he_ was the one in the wrong.

So yes, Himchan was fine. It was exasperating, but it was also nothing new.

One thing greatly improved his mood, though: once they were inside the company, one of the receptionists hurried over and called out to Himchan.

“Sorry to bother you, but this is for you.” She handed over an envelope to him, seemingly a fan letter.

Himchan accepted it graciously, though confused. “Ah, thanks… But don’t we usually get these once a week?” Not that the amount of fan letters and presents was so huge that they couldn’t take it home frequently, it was simply easier to have a set day (unless they were away on tour, in which case they received them afterwards – except for the ones they were given at the lives, of course).

“I know, but this was handed in at reception personally. We checked, nothing’s wrong with it! It’s not dangerous or lewd.”

“Now that’s a shame,” Himchan grinned. “Thank you, I appreciate it.”

As he stepped back, he opened up the envelope to find two pieces of paper inside: one a drawing, one a letter.

_~~Dear~~ ~~Hey~~ ~~Himchan~~ Dear Himchan,_

_Thank you for being so nice during the handshake event! You all were, so if you read this (I know you probably won’t): please thank them too. Ah, you might not remember me, but I was the guy with the tattoo who said he liked your piercings. You told me you might want a tattoo one day, so I drew you something. Sorry it’s not great! It’s just an idea, inspired by your music because you inspire me too._

_I’m going to a few more of your concerts and hope to get the chance to meet you again, but even if I don’t: fighting!! And thank you again._

_~~Love~~ ~~Bye~~ See you,_

_Daehyun_

**Author's Note:**

> Title and song titles come from band names!


End file.
